Knitting machine



G. o. YOUNG 2,428,405

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 18, 1945 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 7, 1947.

INVENTOH, George 0. Young,

ATTORNEY Oct. 7, 1947.

G. o. YOUNG KNITTING-MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed D60. 18, 1945 H1311- 1 m 0 O o e O 6 MW o O 2O O Av O o O o O O O o O 0 o o O o O o O o O\ o. .0; "00 x A 4 ATTORNEY.

Oct. 7, 1947. YOUNG 2,428,405

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 18, 1945 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVEINTOH,

GLeorge 0. Y am z/ v ATTORNEY.

Oct. 7, 1947. GL0 YOUNG KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 18, 1945 I 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOH,

ATTORNEY.

Oct. 7, 1947. G. O. YOUNG 2,428,405

KNITTING MACHINE I Filed Dec.- 18, 1945 83heets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY.

Oct. 7, 1947.

G, o. YOUNG KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 18, 1945 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTOB, 62am" e 0 You 8Y9 '5 ATTORNEY.

Oct. 7, 1947. G. o. YOUNG 2,428,405

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 18, 1945 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 9 c INVENTOH aeor e O. You/V5, BY

ATTORNEY;

Patented Oct. 7, 1 947 KNITTING MACHINE George 0. Young, Robesonia, Pa., assignor to Vanity Fair Mills, Inc., Reading, Pa., a corporation of Permsylvania Application December 18, 1945, Serial No. 635,692

18 Claims.

My invention relates to knitting machines of the tricot type and it has for its objects.

1. To provide a high speed smooth running machine as free from vibration as possible.

2. To provide a machine in which hook needles with sliding tongues are employed, wherein the movements of the needles and tongues are such that thread guides having only up and down motion instead of swinging motion can be employed advantageously.

3. To provide a machine employing stationary sinkers and stationary nibs.

4. To provide a machine in which needles with sliding tongues are moved together through paths resembling a closed figure eight or hour-glass outline.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends the invention further resides in the novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts all of which will first be described and then be specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross section of one embodiment using stationary sinkers and nibs.

Fig. 2 is a detail section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

-Fig. 3 is a detail front elevation of a portion of the same.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the movements of the needle, tongues and thread guides. The spaces between the points to I! to 0 represent intervals of 20 of movement.

Figs. to 22 are diagrammatic views of the invention showing the relative position of the needles, tongues and guides with respect to one another and to the sinkers at the different points shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 23 is a view similar to Fig. l of a modification using a movable nib and stationary sinker.

Fig. 24 is a detail section on the line 2424 of Fig. 23.

Fig. 25 is a View similar to Fig. 4 showing the relative movements of the needles, tongues, nibs and thread guides of Fig. 23. The spaces 'between the points ll to H to 0 represent 20 intervals of movement.

Fig. 26 is a view similar to Figs. 1 and 23 of another embodiment of the invention using staelevation and part section of one way to rack the thread guides.

Fig. 29 is a view similar to Figs. 23 and 26 of a fourth modification of my invention.

Fig. 30 is a detail plan view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 29.

Fig.31 is a detail elevation of the working parts of the same looking from right to left in Fig. 29.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1 to 22 illustrating the first embodiment of my invention 16 represents the end and intermediate frames of a knitting machine of the tricot type, and l! represents the longitudinal pipes for connecting the end and intermediate frames I6 together as per the usual practice in machines of this type.

Mounted in suitable bearings in the frames it (compare 96 in Fig. 28) is a main eccentric shaft 18. A second eccentric shaft I9 is mounted above the shaft [8 and toward the front of the machine while a third eccentric shaft 33 is mounted above and behind shaft [8.

A supporting pipe 2| is rigidly mounted in the frames [6 in back of and above the shaft 23 and in horizontal alignment with shaft l3. Adjust ably and rigidly mounted on the pipe H are stationarily held blocks 22 each having a vertical bearing-bore 23 and two horizontal bearingbores 24.

Associated with each block 22 is a shiftable block 25 having guide and supporting pins 23 which operate in the bearing bores 24. Each block 25 also is provided with a pair of vertical bearing bores 26 and ears, the latter being pivoted at 21 to the end. of the eccentric strap 33 which cooperates with an eccentric 29 on the shaft 59. The shaft [9 is driven at twice the speed of shaft H3 in any suitable way. as for example a sprocket and chain drive 91 indicated by dot and dash lines in Fig. 1. I

I have illustrated my invention as applied to machines employing needles with sliding tongues and the mechanism for reciprocating the needles and that for reciprocating the tongues are alike.

The tongue operating mechanism being visible more fully in Fig. 1 will now be described. It comprises an eccentric 3| on the shaft 158, an eccentric strap 32 being pivoted at 35 to the forked member 34 which is secured to the lower end of the tongue-bar-carrying shaft 33. The shaft 33 passes through one of the bearing apertures 26 in the block 25 and at the upper end there is fastened a tongue-bar-carrying head 36. It should be understood that there are at least two groups or sets of needle-bar-carrying and tongue-bar-carrying (as well as two sets of thread-guide-carrying) mechanisms used, one at each end of the machine. As these mechanisms are duplicates only one set has been illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing.

through the other bearing aperture 26 of the block 25 parallel to the shaft 33. The shaft 3 has a needle-bar-carrying head 42.

A needle-bar 44 is secured to the head42of each group of mechanisms while-a tongue-bar. 43.

is secured to the heads 36. Tongue leads 45 with their tongues are mounted in the tongue-bar 43 and needle leads 46 with their needles are mount-- ed on the needle-bar 44 in the usual manner.

A sinker bar 4'! is fixedly secured to the end frames I6 in any suitableway. The sinker-leads 48 with their sinkers are mounted. on the bar 41 in the usual way. The sinkers have integral nibs 49, to cooperate with supplemental nibs 5 I mounted on a bar 50 supported by brackets 53 hung from a shaft 52 mounted fixedly in the frames I6.-

Mounted on the shaft 20 is an eccentric 54 whose strap 55 is pivoted at 58 to the forked member 57 that is secured on the lower end ofa. rod 56. The rod 56 carries and effects the raising and lowering of the thread guides as will soon appear.

Carried by brackets 66 and 6'! that are adjustably carried on the shaft 56 are guide-bar slider pins 59 and 69. The guide bars 6|, 62 have brackets 64, 65 which slide on the pins 59,60, respectively, and to which the leads of the thread guides 63, 63 are secured. The thread guidebars move up and down in unison as shaft 20 turns. They are racked individually, however, by any suitable pattern-wheel-operated mechanism, such for example as that schematically illustrated in Fig. 28 hereinafter specifically referred to.

Supported by a bracket 68 on each shaft 56 of the machine, is a shaft69 onwhich thread tensioning levers II, 12 are pivoted and on which arms 70 are immovably mounted. The arms I carry tension rods I3 which passthrough open v ings I in the short ends of the levers 7|,"I2 and carry, adjustably, tension springs I4. On the free ends of the levers I I, 12 are mounted thread tensioning rods 76, ll under and over'which. respectively, the threads T T pass on their J way from the beams (not shown) tothe thread guides. A second rod 98 for the thread T to pass over is carried by extensions of the brackets '64. The bracket 68 has a bore 95 to receive the'shaft 56,

The shaft 20 rotates at the same speed as shaft I8 and may be driven from that shaft inanyap proved manner, as for example by a sprocket and chain drive 99, indicated by dot and dash lines in Fig. 1.

By referring now to 4 and 5 to 22 the operation of my machine of the first embodiment of my invention will be clear. The needles N move through a curve N. C.- of figure eight or hourglass form carrying the tongue with it. 'At the same time the tongue movesup and down in its groove in the needle in a straight line indicated by T. M. in Fig. 4. The points marked on the curve N. C. and those on the lines T. -M.,-T G and T G represent increments of 20 each; a

The eccentrics are set so that when the needles are at 0 (Figs. 4 and 5)-the tongues'I will be at the level of the point, 0 onthe line T.M. The thread guide movements are straight up and down along the line TG and T?G, Fig;"4. The eccent 5, e ets th twh ri h n edlesan 2,428,405 7 a r s. V

' to the sinkersand these views are taken 20 degrees a a cllc siie id r e ively to the points numbered 0 to I! in Fig. 4. In Figs.5 to

'22 inclusive the first loop formed by a. needle is indicated by L the second by L, and the third hymn Thethreadguides begin to rack on approaching .the-positiQn shown in Fig. 11 and complete same before reaching the position shown in Fig. 13;

they begin to rack again on approaching the positionshown'--in'-Fig;.-21 and complete same before reaching the position shown in Fig. 5.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 23 and 24 This-embodimerit difiers from the preceding one in that thesinker has no nib and the supplemental nib and its supports'arg omitted. In their place I use movable nibs-I00-carried by a nibbar IOI mounted on the heads I02-"on the ends of shafts I 03; longitudinally and horizontally mounted in bearing bores- I04 blocks I05 rigid ly' secured to the pipe-2|. At the rear ends the shafts I03 carry forked members" I06 whichare pivoted at I01 to the eccentric straps I08y hi'ch cooperate with eccentrics I 09- on a fourth" eccene tongues great zero the guides. are also at zer'o.

tric shaft 0 that is -sliitably journalled in the end frames I6 It'should-beunderstood that only one shaft l I0 is used and atleast two'of the elements I02 to- I09 inclusive.- (Only one set-of elements I02 to I09 inclusive is shown in the drawings as-theother se't'is a duplicatethereofi The shaft H0 is drive'nat-the same speed as shaft 20 and I0: by any suitable-means, e,- wormgear, worm shaft drivel II forexample being in dicated in dot and dash lines in Figs-23. A spur gear connection IIZ'isindicated in dotand dash flines in Fig; 23 as vanotherexample 'of -asuitable' 'means for driving the: shaft 20?- from shaft me.

In Figs. 23 and .24athosepartsgwhichare like corresponding parts in Fig.1 bear the same ref- 7 erence numbers plusthe index lettera. Y

e pera ion of: e. embodiment of Flgsr 24 is graphically illustrated in Fig. 25 wherethe n edle, t neuag movabl ni 1 stat onary. sink r and up and down movable thread guides areindicated ir r o i i ns. 1; nth szfisu eN is.

thelneedleT he. t ngue, N.;C-:; the.; idle mo e: ment rv T M. the 11m: inclicatiqnoi-t e ngue movement in the needle, the line indication o the nib ovement and VG and-PG thel nes indicative tively. I

eferr now to F e.26 it w l .hes enthat those parts'whichare like or similar topart lili gs 1 and .23. bear t esame re e ence num p us the ndex tte Z and ne dnQta'eainb de.

scribed. This -embodiment of the iilvention-substitutes mechanism for imparting a, circular-. 017 rotary. movement tothe threadguidesin. place; of a straight 'up-andi down-.movementand to; that e d the bra kets 66?; El i-are mount de n a ross rod mounted on a pair of eccentric blocks. H4 car; ried by eccentrics I I 5 on a pair ofisha'fts. I I6, Q

The s afts 6- are s ta ly mounted in bea ines, in the and frame d a e made, to riot-at n t e same ir cfionin unispn i fa'nv s tab e way as for example a sprocket and chain conne ion I i d c te by dot-and dashlines nfi were 'tiee seiee west en enius.

of the threadgguidemovements respec;

The shafts or maybe driv nfrcmranda e heme. t me s eed as; shafts ,1, |m .gtg n able way, 'as'for exampleb'y a. sprocket stud -chain yFig, 26 and a wormand worm shaft connection IZIbetween shafts .I I [Wand I 8 The racking mechanism shown in Fig. 28 is especially adaptedfor use with the embodiment of the invention just described. By reference to Fig. 28 it will be seen that to each end of a guide bar say 62 is secured a pin 94. These pins contact discs 89, 9| respectively carried by slide rods 86, 90 respectively, that are journaled in suitable I bearings 88, 92 respectively in theend frames of the machine. The rod 86 carries a contact wheel or roller 81 that is held to engage a pattern wheel 85 in any suitable way, as by a spring 93. The pattern wheel shaft 84 is journalled in suitable bearing brackets 80, BI and may be driven from the main eccentric shaft by a worm I8 thereon meshing with a worm 82 on a worm shaft I9 having a second worm B3 meshing with a worm 83* on the pattern wheel shaft.

' The discs 89 and HI are of suificient diameter I to allow for the rotary motion imparted to the thread guides by the eccentrics I I5.

It should be understood that there is a pattern wheel for racking each threadguide bar and the parts shown in Fig. 28 which effect cooperation between the guide bars and pattern wheels are duplicated, only one set being shown.

The operation of the third embodiment of my invention will beclear by reference to Figs. 26 and 27. In the latter figure the spaces between the 7 points zero to I to zero represent increments of g 22.5 degrees. In Fig. 27 the needle is indicatedby N, the tongue by T, the sinker by 58*, the nib by I00", the thread guides by 63 93* the path of movement of the thread guide T G and T G're- 'spectively, the tongue movement in the needle by 4 T. M. and the nib movement by N. M. The needle,

parts which correspond to like parts in Fig. 26

, bear the same reference number with, the index letter 0 in place of b.

In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 29, 30 and 31, there is another eccentric H9, on

Y shaft I9", the eccentric strap I28 of" which is connected to a link I2I by an adjustable pivot I'22. The link I2I is in turnpivoted to an extension of the pivot 35.

."I'he'eccentric strap 39 of the eccentric 29 .(Figs. 29, 30) is shortened and is pivoted to a link I23, at I25, the link I28 being pivoted at 21 to the block 25. A link I24 is vertically adjustably pivoted at one end to the pivot I25 and at the other end is pivoted at I26 to the link I2I, the pivot I26 being adjustable along the link I2I,

With the set up as shown in Fig. 29, the movements of the needles, tongues, nibs and thread guides will be approximately the same as is indicated in Fig. 27. By changing the positions of the pivots I22, I25, I28 the needle-tongue path of movement under the action of the eccentrics 3I I 9, 31 can be considerably varied if desired.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it will be seen that'machines ofv high speeds and smooth operation can be produced.

What I claim is:

=sinkers, movable thread guidesabove'the sinkers, sinker nibs, hook knitting needles and tongues, the improvement which comprises eccentric-operated means to impart longitudinal movement to the needles and tongues in combination with means to move the needles and tongues bodily laterally as they are moved longitudinally, all in timed relation to effect knitting operations.

2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the means which moves the needles and tongues bodily laterally is an eccentric-operated means.

a 3. The improvement of claim 1 wherein. the means which effects the bodily-lateral movement of the needles and tongues, includes at least one fixed block, one movable block slidably connected with the fixed block and supported thereby, an eccentric shaft with an eccentric thereon, an eccentric'strap connecting said eccentric with said movable block, and wherein the means which-imparts longitudinal movement to the needles and tongues includes at least one tongue-bar-carrying shaft and one needle-bar-carrying shaft passing through bearing apertures in said movable block, another eccentric shaft with an eccene 'tric for operating said tongue-bar-carrying shaft and an eccentric for operating said needle-barcarrying shaft, and eccentric straps connecting the needle-bar-operating shaft and the tonguebar-operating shaft with their respective eccentrics.

4.,In a knitting machine wherein h'ook knitting needles, thread guides, sinkers, sinker nibs, and needle tongues are employed to effect knitting operations, the improvement which includes means to cause the needles to pass up from the sinkers through the nibs and between the thread guides without hooking the thread and then pass down back to the sinkers and hook the thread during the downward passage, said means including at least one movable block having a vertical bearing aperture, a needle-bar-carrying,

shaft operable in said bearing aperture, a shaft having an eccentric with an eccentric strap connected to said needle-bar-carrying shaft to-impart longitudinal motion to said needle-bar-carrying-shaft, means to support said block forhorij 1. In a knittingmachine employing stationary zontal movement, and an eccentric operated means to move said block back and forth horizontally in timed relation to the longitudinal movements of said needle-bar-carrying shaft for purposes described.

5. In a knitting machine wherein hook knitting needles, thread guides, sinkers, sinker nibs, and needle tongues are employed to effect knitting operations, the improvement which includes means to cause the needles to pass up from the sinkers through the nibs and between the thread guides without hooking the thread and then pass down back to the sinkers and hook the thread during the downward passage, said means including at least one movable block having a vertical bearing aperture, a tongue-bar-carrying shaft operable in said bearingaperture, a shaft having an eccentric with an eccentric strap connected to said tongue-bar-carrying shaft to impart longitudinal motion to said tongue-bar-carrying shaft, means to support said block for horizontal movement, and an eccentric operated means to move said block back and forth horizontally in timed relation to the longitudinal movements of said tongue-bar-carrying shaft for purposes described.

6. The improvement of claim 5 wherein theeccentric that effects the horizontal movement of 

